From 7:56 when I sit down at my computer until at least 9:45, my mornings are a dash from email to Teams message to announcement post to as many assignments as I can quickly grade before I start my class, teach for 45 minutes, stick around for another few minutes to see if any stragglers have questions, back to email, back to Teams, back to my course home page for more grading, planning, or mindlessly rearranging content. I scan my to-do list for unchecked items, more little things that will eat away the rest of my morning.
But around 10 AM, I step away from my computer, sneak downstairs, and open the cupboard beside my range hood. From the top shelf, I take down a basket filled with teas—a tin of lavender Earl Grey, a few stray bags of peppermint and lemon ginger, a box of chai, a few packets from David’s tea. I scoop out a tablespoon of loose-leaf Candy Cane Crush tea into a tea bag. I pour a half cup of water and a half cup of milk into a small saucepan. I bring it to a low heat, then drop the tea in to steep. As I wait, I drizzle a teaspoon of maple syrup and a drop of peppermint extract into a favorite mug. Once my timer goes off, I whisk the tea till it’s frothy, pour it into my mug, and retreat back upstairs.
I sit back in my chair, cup my hands around my mug, and gaze out my office window at the birds twittering in the tops of our arborvitae, and for a few moments, I rest in the calm that a small moment of beauty provides. It is enough.
Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of January.
What I Read
A Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan (★★★★★)
Carved in Ebony, Jasmine L. Holmes (★★★★)
If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.
What I Cooked
We could all use more good one-pan meals in our lives, and this is a good one-pan meal. Simple but flavorful, it requires less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep. A keeper for sure.
Once again, I was taken in by a flashy Instagram tutorial video. Perhaps I would feel happier about my experience with this recipe if I had not had to eat it leftover multiple days after making it (even despite the fact that I halved the recipe in the first place), but it just didn't wow me. It was decent, but definitely not my favorite way to eat salmon.
What I Created
Unpublished blackout poem "Meditation on Matthew 5:3"
May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.